Johnny St. Cyr played banjo and guitar, and was a true jazz pioneer.
St. Cyr had his own bands in New Orleans as far back as 1905. He played with A.J. Piron, the Superior, Olympia and Tuxedo bands, played on the riverboats with Fate Marable and was with King Oliver when he went north to Chicago in 1923. St. Cyr
recorded with King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and with Louis Armstrong as a key member of
the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions. He also performed with Doc Cook's
Dreamland Orchestra. In 1930 he returned to New Orleans where he made his living as a plasterer but still played with local groups including with Paul Barbarin and Alphonse
Picou. In 1955 St. Cyr moved to Los Angeles and returned to music full time, leading the Young Men from New Orleans at Disneyland (which also featured Barney Bigard) from 1961 until his death in 1966.